Is He Awake?
by MirrorDede
Summary: Liam is sent to check on that weird new guy, Xerxes.  Break x Liam one-shot semi-fluff.


**Summary: **Reim is sent to check on that weird new guy, Xerxes. One-shot semi-fluff.

**Words: **1002

**Rating: **PG

"Reim-san," Shelly Rainsworth asked, in her sweet and kind manner. "Please check on Xerxes to see if he's awake."

Just barely in his teens, Reim had been put unofficially in charge of keeping tabs on the traumatized man who'd been found just last week outside the Rainsworth gate to the Abyss. Reim figured his being male had a lot to do with his being given the task, as the demure and gentle ladies of the Rainsworth household – and even their female servants – would not dare go near the bed of the strange man they'd named Xerxes. That would be socially inappropriate, as well as potentially quite frightening.

Reim pushed the door of the guest bedroom open and peeked in nervously. The cut on his face still hurt from the other day when Xerxes had roughly pushed him away, and screamed at him… "Leave me alone…don't come near me…don't look at me!"

Reim saw, with his bespectacled eyes, what he _thought_ was an awake man in bed. It was harder to tell – since Xerxes had bandages over one of his eyes – whether the one eye that remained to him was in fact open.

Xerxes' body appeared to be shaking slightly, and just then, his legs moved, and his head stirred on the pillow. There was no doubt now. Xerxes was staring right at Reim with his one red eye.

"I guess a bit of privacy is too much to ask," Xerxes stated, with a tone of irritable resignation.

"I beg your pardon, I was asked by Lady Shelly to see if you were awake," Reim said, putting his hands up to his chest protectively, then stepping backward toward the door. "I'll let her know that you are."

Reim was almost to the door, when Xerxes called him.

"Come back. Please. Reim-san," Xerxes said, sitting up in bed. "That's your name, right?"

"Uh, y-yes." Young Reim was not used to being spoken to with such politeness and formality, and certainly didn't expect it from this troubled white-haired man.

Xerxes motioned for him to sit on the bed beside him. Reim was taken aback by this gesture of familiarity, but sat down on the bed and turned to face the other man.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you the other day," Xerxes said, bowing his head. "Please accept my apology."

"I-I do." stuttered Reim. "Thank you for offering it. I apologize also, if I was too-"

"Reim-san," interrupted Xerxes, moving so close to Reim it made him even more nervous. "Please do me a favor. Just look into my eyes…I mean…my eye. And tell me what you see there."

"What do you mean?"

"When you look at me…what kind of person do you think I am?" Xerxes looked at him intently, almost passionately.

Reim adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, and took off his glasses, which were no help at such close range. His face was only a foot away from the other man's and he was determined to try to answer Xerxes' question, because it was a strange question and Reim liked a good mystery, which this man in front him certainly was.

He cleared his throat and stared carefully into Xerxes' eyes.

"I see a person who…has been through some difficult times, who is a bit wild, intense and a bit…curious." _Oh God, what will happen if I say something that offends him._ "I mean that…curious in a way that…you are curious about things…not that you are strange…although, honestly, you are a bit strange, too." The words just tumbled out and Reim blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry I'm not very good at reading eyes. I'm better at reading people's lips."

Xerxes cocked his head. "How do you mean? You can tell what people are like by looking at their lips?"

"Something like that," Reim said, letting out a nervous laugh. "You see, my parents both wore glasses and I couldn't really see their eyes well, so I learned to gauge people's feelings by their lips."

"That's very interesting," said Xerxes, thoughtfully. "Can you look at my lips and tell me what you see?"

"I'll try," Reim took a deep breath and looked at Xerxes' lips, but quite suddenly his own lips began to tingle with a desire to kiss the other man. The desire was so overwhelming; he could find no words to say and a long, somewhat uncomfortable moment passed between them.

He put his fingers on Xerxes' chin to steady it – as the two of them were both trembling a bit now – and leaned forward slowly, slowly, until Reim's intention became clearly evident and Xerxes let out a gasp, just as Reim pressed his lips to his. They pressed their lips together breathlessly for a long moment, then leaned back and exhaled.

Xerxes' expression was one of shock – which did not surprise Reim – but his face also looked somewhat heartbroken, which was a surprise. Xerxes slowly touched his own lips with the tips of his fingers, and then looked at his fingertips cautiously, as if he expected to see blood. Reim couldn't even begin to guess what was going through that man's mind.

"No one's ever done that to me before," Xerxes said, under his breath.

"Did you expect it to hurt?" asked Reim.

"I don't know…" Xerxes looked perplexed, and Reim felt sort of sorry for him. _Never been kissed…poor guy. _

"_Reim! Reim!"_ From the other side of the door, they could hear Reim's name being called by one of the servants.

"I have to go," he said, jumping up, putting on his glasses, and running for the door. Then he stopped and turned around.

"You _are_ awake aren't you?" asked Reim, winking.

"Yes." Xerxes half-smiled, the first smile Reim ever saw from the white-haired man. " And…please come visit me again, Reim-san."

After the young man closed the door behind him, Xerxes lay back in the bed for a long delicious moment, just stretching his limbs and breathing deeply.

_Yes...I am awake now…truly, truly awake_.


End file.
